After nearly 32 hours of travel, I arrived in the Playgrounds region of the Mentawai Islands and paddled straight into the biggest swell of 2026. We went straight to Kandui. A shallow and heavy reef that requires equal parts devotion and caution. My guide, Riku Matsumoto, put it best: "Sometimes it's Can-do-ee," he said, smiling toward the horizon. "Sometimes it's No-can-do-ee." The lineup was nearly empty. Four surfers. Thick, ruler-edged lines marching in from the Indian Ocean. The reef sat alarmingly close to the surface. Every wave looked like a closeout. The last time I surfed in the Mentawais, I came over a foam ball deep inside a long backside barrel. My tail drifted, I went down, and my fin sliced open my foot. I paddled in with fat hanging out of the cut and spent the morning getting stitched back together. Funny how certain places hand your memories back the instant you return. Bianca Valenti proving that patience does pay off whether you're in the big stuff or surf tripping through Indo.…